It was mid-afternoon, and the sun shone lazily through the thin curtains in Clarette’s room. She had been telling Flann some stories at his request, both historical tales and fantasy ones, when he glanced at the bookshelf in the corner of her room, and asked, “...Do you learn these from the books you’re always reading?”

“Oh,” she glanced back as well, realizing the extent of books she had in her room. “Some of them I did, some I heard from others.”

When Flann continued to stare at the collection of books, she asked, “Are you interested in reading some?” Then, pausing for a moment to contemplate, she added, “Can you read?”

Flann scratched his head lightly, and replied, “...I think so. Some.”

“...Whether it’s written or said, everything is a mix for me.”

Clarette thought about his response, wondering what it must be like to experience such a thing. Indeed, she had noticed that his vocabulary was odd. Sometimes, he knew complex words that surprised her, and other times, he asked for the meaning of the most simplest things. It was clear that he wasn’t on the level of a child learning from the basics, but rather suffering from an erasure of knowledge at random. 

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?” She commented, getting up to walk towards the bookshelf. “Perhaps trying to read will help your memory come back faster.” 

She peered at the different levels of the shelf, which contained stories ranging from technical knowledge and histories to fiction and fairy tales.

“Is there anything in particular you’d like to read about? I have a large variety here.”

Flann thought for a moment, swinging his feet gently from his chair. “...I want to read about the Haelika kingdom.”

“You want to start from history? Wouldn’t that be harder?”

“Well… last time you told me about the tragedy… but I want to know about before.” He rubbed his head again. “...When things were good.”

“I see,” Clarette responded. “I definitely would like you to know about the good parts of our kingdom too.” 

She scanned the rows of books before choosing one, and headed back to where Flann was sitting. “You know, I really can’t tell if you’re just curious about the Haelika kingdom, as you are with many things, or if you were actually a citizen of the kingdom before.”

Flann looked at her, receiving the book, and then replied, “...I wonder that myself too.”

Clarette smiled, a little sympathetically. “Well, have a go at it. You can ask me if you have any questions.”

Flann nodded, and while he opened the book and began to read, Clarette proceeded to continue reading a book she had been part way through.

His book, titled “A Brief Overview of the Haelika Kingdom,” focused on the royal lineage, and chronologically explained achievements and downfalls of each generation. Flann flipped through the pages, scanning at various events without reading the entire book in order. While his comprehension for reading was at a similar level to his listening, he still preferred to look at the illustrations over reading the blocks of text, and spent a good while musing over the detailed images. 

Near the end of the book, he reached the section on the former king, Aelius Deimantas Thyresia, which was incredibly short. The book, which was quite a bit outdated, only recorded him being crowned, and claimed that his actions as crown prince seemed to precede a long and prosperous reign. Next to that passage was a picture of the then newly crowned king, who was smiling gently and happily. Knowing the fate of what was to happen, Flann couldn’t help but feel a rift between this king and the one he had heard of. 

Glancing up from his book, he turned towards Clarette and asked, “...Clarette, was the former king a bad person?”

Clarette, looking up from her own reading, spoke without hesitation. “Yes, very much so.” Looking out, her gaze focused on nothing in particular, she added, “Everyone is very thankful that he received the punishment he deserved.”

Flann observed the expression in her face, but could not read what she might have been thinking. When she said no more, he mumbled, “...I see.” 

He moved his gaze back down towards his book, and read the lines of the king’s description over and over again. 

Why did someone, who seemed to have such a bright future ahead of him, fall towards such a catastrophic end?

He once again stared at the image of the king, muddled by the disparity.

‘If you are a bad person, why do you smile so innocently?’

Left with an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, Flann closed his book and placed it aside, leaning closer to Clarette. “...What is your book about?”

“Oh this?” Clarette brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and pushed the book so that it sat between them. “I’m brushing up on my magical theory. I haven’t been practicing much recently.”

“...Magic?” Flann’s eyes glistened a little under the light. “...I’ve heard of it, but… what is it?”

“It’s hard to explain, but in short, it’s the ability to create powers from an internal source we call mana.” She extended her hand out a distance away from the papers on her desk, and ignited a small, pink flame on her palm. “It’s something like this.”

Flann was wonderstruck by the flame that appeared in her hand, and excitedly watched it from various angles. “...How does that work?” he asked, eagerly. “...Can I do that too?”

“Hm, well… magical potency tends to be higher in those of noble birth, but maybe you’d be able to do a little?”

Clarette stood up from her chair and gestured for Flann to do so as well. Standing in the middle of the room, away from objects, she tried to explain to him how magic worked. 

“First, close your eyes.”

She closed her eyes, and Flann followed suit, feeling a little nervous. 

“Try to feel the mana flow within you. It might help to concentrate your sensations on your chest, near your heart.”

Flann stood motionless for a moment, trying to draw out the sensation of mana flowing through his body. Suddenly, he felt a spark in his heart, and he immediately opened his eyes, shocked. 

“...Ah!” He let out a gasp, and Clarette opened her eyes too to look at him. 

“Did you feel it?”

“...I think so?”

“Okay then,” she continued, “once you get a hang of that feeling, try to guide the mana from your heart to where you want it to go, in this case your palm.”

“Follow the sensation all the way there, and when it arrives, visualize the form you want it to take. This flame is its purest form.” Another rose flame sparked in her palm, and she smiled at Flann. “When you release that feeling from your body, it materializes in the place you sent it to.”

Trying to mimic what she had just done, Flann once again closed his eyes, and felt for the mana in his heart. Another spark bloomed in his chest, and he focused all his attention into leading that spark towards his open palm. The sensation was overwhelming, and he felt a tingling follow where he guided the spark, numbing almost. When it was finally near his palm, he imagined a flame just like the one Clarette had shown him, and in one moment, released the tight hold he had on that feeling.